The Infirmary Interrogation and the Crimson Archmage's Fury
Asterion Le Sorden Jekarimorium, the current professor in charge of the guidance department and the lead representative for this freshman assault investigation meeting.
The reason Asterion was in charge of the guidance department went without saying—his combat prowess, his strict and fair personality—but it was also because he was exceptionally strong in projection magic, which allowed him to show everyone visions of past events... or so that was the official line.
In truth, the real reason he handled the guidance department was simply because his face was terrifying.
Despite that scary face, he loved children so much that he became a professor at the Imperial Academy. But because of that same face, the academy students despised him. That was Professor Asterion in a nutshell.
Asterion had no way of knowing who Kesera was. He'd only caught a glimpse of her at the entrance ceremony, and they were complete strangers.
Yet she'd uprooted in one fell swoop the budding crisis that threatened the Imperial Academy. What kind of child is she? Wondering that as he entered the infirmary, he found Kesera eyeing the professors with a gaze that seemed to look down on them.
"You old geezers reek☆ Why don'tcha wash up before coming around?"
Ah! That explained it—the professors all looked a mess. The mud caked on their robes was from rolling around trying to decipher the general solution to the chaos equations, and they'd just come straight down from the mountain after surveying the site, so none of them cut an impressive figure.
"Ahem. Everyone, at least cast Cleanse before coming."
He quickly ushered the professors outside with him, cast Cleanse, and returned. But Kesera was glaring at them with contempt once more.
"What? Why the stares, you lame☆ old fogies? Why'd you all swarm in here?"
Kesera's eyes twitched slightly under them as she spat out the words curtly—a clear sign of a frightened child. Professor Asterion, who had seen countless kids like this, could tell exactly how scared she was.
But...
"How did you construct the cyclic structure of imaginary magic?"
"According to the Serkariston conjecture, it shouldn't be provable... Ah, the Serkariston conjecture, that is—"
"To solve the chaos general solution, there must've been dozens of equations mixed in, but you unraveled it with proportional methods, right...?"
It was a moment to heap praise on her, yet here the professors were grilling Kesera mercilessly. It was heartbreaking.
Finally, Kesera avoided their gazes and pulled the blanket over her head.
She huddled up like a snail, utterly adorable, but the professors kept pressing her.
"How exactly did you solve it with proportional methods—"
"Hey now, you're scaring her with all that! We only came to question the person involved for the investigation, that's all."
"Ahem, right."
"Cough... Sorry."
"Aigoo. I see. Kesera is only seven years old, after all."
As the stern-faced Professor Asterion spoke, the infirmary fell silent in an instant. He hated having to play the villain like this, but with his scary looks, he had no choice.
"Kesera. We're putting the magical theory aside and just here for the facts."
"U-uh-huh..."
Kesera barely squeaked out a response in a tiny voice. Damn these professors, he thought. They can't even love kids properly; they're just bookworms clinging to the academy for their magic obsession.
But playing the bad guy was all too familiar to him.
"Did you free Luca from the chaos?"
"Uh, y-yeah..."
Now she was practically buried in the blanket, her voice muffled and inaudible.
The professors fell completely silent, stifling their awe. Seeing the little fledgling too terrified to even speak properly tugged at their hearts, leaving them unable to continue.
"During the fight, you used flight magic to unravel four chaos arrows, then purified him with a soul magic circle, correct?"
"Yeah... Of course☆"
Thankfully, Kesera peeked out just her eyes from under the blanket. Is there any child this cute in the world? Asterion's heart pounded.
But Kesera turned fully toward the window.
"Then there's no need for further investigation, is there? We've already reviewed the scene dozens of times anyway. We should be grilling the culprits more."
"Cough..."
"Indeed."
"I... agree."
"And what does the Imperial Magic Bureau think?"
The Imperial Magic Bureau had come down to investigate the incident as well. A man in a somewhat composed uniform lowered his eyes slightly and spoke.
"Yes, the Imperial Magic Bureau does not wish to escalate this incident."
"In that case, our academy will appropriately reward Kesera, but we won't publicize it widely."
And with that, the freshman assault incident was laid to rest.
Gail, who had come this far but couldn't enter due to the no-entry order, watched Kesera from beyond the door. His impression of her shifted.
—Arrogant little brat's scared of the guidance teacher? Looks like I just learned another one of the kid's weaknesses.
And Yerina, standing beside him, couldn't understand the Magic Bureau's decision—her chest felt tight.
—Why hide such a heroic act? Then what about our poor junior Gail, whose loss to her will spread as rumor?
No matter her doubts, the Imperial Magic Bureau buried the incident per higher orders.
The next day, fully recovered Kesera left the infirmary and headed back to classes.
No one noticed the traces of time magic lingering where she'd lain.
Imperial South, Industrial District Gertowin 12th Street—Chaos Hideout.
A grand mage in a pristine white robe and flowing red hair clicked her heels down a street choked with smog so thick it blurred even shapes.
This was the site the Imperial Magic Bureau had pinpointed as harboring a Chaos executive. Gertowin 12th Street was a Chaos fortress that even a grand mage couldn't breach alone.
Thus, Tiasa Le Jerna Sojerinareus—one of the five rulers and the grand mage handling the case—greeted the red-haired grand mage who had come as support with utmost courtesy.
"Ascentrius... Thank you for coming to our aid."
"It's merely our duty."
She brushed back her alluring red hair and returned the graceful bow.
Eclina Le Armo Ascentrius. The empire's greatest mage, revered and praised by all its citizens. The second Le Armo, the one who understood void magic—the pinnacle of modern magic—better than anyone.
Countless words described her, but she held no official title—though calling her the empire's top grand mage was no exaggeration.
"So let's drive them out at once, Grand Mage Tiasa."
"Yes, understood!"
Even among the five grand mages of equal rank, Eclina commanded respect. True to expectations, she cast acceleration magic and leaped straight into the heart of the battlefield, where the clash with Chaos raged.
As chaos arrows rained down, Grand Mage Eclina charged like a warrior maiden, her red hair whipping, enveloping her body in a void energy membrane—all alone.
"Icicle Spear, Void Rain."
⟨ Icicle Spear, Void Rain ⟩
As Eclina chanted, dozens of icy void mana strands erupted from her, encircling and felling the dozens of Chaos foes on the spot.
She closed in instantly, pressing her platinum wand to the executive's throat.
"Wh-what... the hell... Ascentrius."
"I've been away from the field too long. I wanna kill you quick and head home."
The Chaos rasped through a phlegmy throat, and Eclina replied in her captivating voice.
The executive sneered, blasting her back with a shockwave before firing five chaos bullets.
"Haha! Yeah, try killing me! We'll see who drops first!"
The filthy mana crystals, forged from sacrificed souls, screamed with their grudges.
Eclina deployed five magic circles in an instant at the sight of the chaos bullets.
Fourier Transform magic, learned from her daughter. It could simplify any natural wave-form magic and derive the general solution.
Having grasped her daughter's explanation, Eclina's magical computation power "unraveled" the complex soul forms in one go.
Boom—
The five soul bullets unraveled instantly; the executive, shocked to his spirit core, collapsed on the spot.
"Ugh... ah... Ascentrius... you're a monster..."
Eclina approached slowly, her footsteps echoing for the executive to hear.
She pressed the platinum wand to the helpless man again.
"Why do you serve Chaos?"
"Like a noble mage bitch with your bloodline could ever understand?"
Eclina purified the pathetic executive's excuses from the world forever with soul magic.
"...Whoa."
Tiasa, who had watched Eclina unravel five chaos arrows in a flash, sank to the ground right there.
She too was one of the five rulers. No matter how revered Ascentrius was as the empire's greatest, Tiasa had thought them equals.
Plus, Eclina hadn't been active for seven years, holing up at home. Some yellow journalism even screamed that she was shirking her ruler duties under the excuse of her sick daughter.
Tiasa had worried about her lack of field experience.
But Ascentrius had returned as an even greater grand mage.
"Grand Mage Eclina... Will you head back now?"
"Hmm, I plan to handle the cleanup first, Grand Mage Tiasa."
"Th-thank you!"
The Gertowin 12th Street incident was massive. Eclina stayed to resolve it and support Tiasa.
Absolutely not because her daughter had crossed a line and needed a lesson.
Days flew by as she made up for lost time on the field.
In the meantime, her daughter had caused a massive incident right from the entrance exam.
Well, of course. That's my girl—I expected as much.
As the eldest of House Ascentrius, topping the entrance exam is a given.
But the telegraph magic from the Imperial Magic Bureau crossed the line entirely.
"Grand Mage Eclina, contacting you regarding an incident at the Imperial Academy."
"What is it?"
"Your daughter single-handedly dealt with a Chaos executive. We're considering a reward—your thoughts?"
Eclina swept back the red bangs falling over her forehead.
Where's that Imperial Academy president who swore to raise her strictly and keep her safe?
"Is that something you even call me about?"
"Then we'll proceed—"
"Minimize my daughter's involvement as much as possible. Got it?"
"Understood! Grand Mage!"
As the telegraph cut off, Eclina let out a deep sigh.
"Ah... kiddo, I told you to live quietly... Sormon, just you wait till I get back."
Even amid the chaos of scouting the orphanage ruins, it felt like a pitiful strand of hair was slipping from President Sormon's wig—that grand mage and academy head.